Article
WEST RAND SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMMES
22 JANUARY 2024
The West Rand school holiday programmes aim to engage young people during holiday periods and enhance the quality of their lives by shielding them from social ills that could hinder their development and potential. The programmes’ objective is to impart basic life skills to beneficiaries, helping them avoid involvement in criminal activities and reinforcing positive values. Life skills are cultivated through role-playing, dialogue circles, book reading, storytelling, public speaking, appreciative inquiry, and engaging in enjoyable activities and sports. We are excited to highlight the significant impact of our quarterly school holiday programmes. The Khulisa West Rand division has succeeded in establishing a safe and nurturing environment for children to learn, explore, and enjoy themselves.
Our school holiday programmes have offered children valuable learning opportunities during their breaks. With 17 interactive sessions tailored to engage children ranging from one to 17 years old, we have effectively enhanced their knowledge and skills in a fun and engaging manner. Through these sessions, we have reached over 5,000 children in informal settlements, townships, and mining towns across the West Rand.
The school holiday programmes in the West Rand and throughout South Africa have been specifically designed to address the following key elements:
EDUCATION
- Helps identify learning
challenges that children
are experiencing. - Transfer life skills to
beneficiaries - Influence learning
capacity
OUTCOME
Identified children with learning challenges.
Identified children in
need of academic
support.Identified children of
age who are not
enrolled at school and
assisted children
enrolling.Improved the
relationships between
teachers and learners.Provided support to
educators.Assisted children in
identifying their
potential, skills and
capabilities.Improved reading and
writing skills noted.
COGNITIVE AND SELF- DEVELOPMENT
- Foster self-actualization
(strengths and
weaknesses), critical
thinking and analysis,
along with reasoning. - Improve self-esteem.
- Create a healthy
competitive
environment.
OUTCOME
Children were able to
gasp the importance of
financial literacy
through public speaking
and taking leadership
roles within their
groups.Improvement of self-esteem through feedback presentations
of group tasks.Enhanced critical
thinking and reasoning
through completion of
puzzles games and
through brainstorming
activities.Children were able to reach the stage of self-
actualization by finding themselves voluntarily
taking part in different
activities that put them
out of their comfort
zone.
PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
Addresses challenges
that children face
during school holidays
and their day-to-day
lives outside the
programme.Gender-based violence,
substance use, and
teenage pregnancy.High rate of school
dropouts.
OUTCOME
- Children were able to
share their different
experiences in relation
to the different crimes
within their community. - Through our
programmes,
counselling and support
were provided to
children going through
traumatic experiences
and were equipped
with coping skills
mechanisms and
preventatives
measures. - Through the
programmes, assistance
was provided to
children who are
victims of social ills and
social injustices, such as
bullying, abuse,
discrimination, hate
crimes, drugs abuse,
economic inequality
and poverty, teenage
pregnancy, gangsterism
and gender-based
violence.
SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Foster an environment
of fitness and healthy
living - Bring about social
cohesion. - Bring out cultural
diversity . - Reintroduce indigenous
games which promotes
self-identification. - Create awareness.
- Bridge the lack of
recreational spaces
through sporting and
fun filled activities.
OUTCOME
Children enjoyed
engaging in healthy
competitive activities.Fostered friendships
and a sense of
belonging and
cohesiveness within
their community.Positive influence
amongst peers.
FOOD SECURITY DURING
PROGRAMME
- Helps ensure that
children receive one
meal per day, as most
are found to greatly
benefit from the
feeding scheme
programmes at schools.
OUTCOME
A meal a day were
provided to children
attending the
programmes. Due to
poverty, majority of
children depend on
school feeding schemes.
SAFETY
- Prevents children from
engaging in criminal
activities such as theft
and getting involved
with gangs. Helps prevent child
abuse by providing a
safe environment for
the day.Removes children from
unwanted street
activitiesPrevents exposure to
human trafficking
OUTCOME
- Children were
prevented from
roaming in the streets
and thereby human
trafficking was
prevented.
Child neglect were
addressed.
Safety measures were
introduced.
These programmes have offered children educational and creative opportunities, fostering
friendships and a sense of belonging within their community. Approximately 80% of
children who participated in the programmes showed improvement in school interest,
behaviour, and cognitive reasoning. Additionally, around 70% of participating children
refrained from engaging in anti-social behaviour. It is evident that effecting positive change
in children’s lives requires an inter-sectoral approach.
About us
Khulisa Social Solutions is a non-profit company that helps vulnerable children, youth, and communities unlock their potential and develop skills toward a sustainable future.
It operates nationally, employs approximately 200 staff through 19 offices, and works in approximately 150 communities in collaboration with 350 NGO partners, impacting the lives of close to 200,000 people per annum.
Khulisa partners with national and local government departments, schools, correctional facilities, community leaders, corporates, thought leaders, academic institutions, and private companies. Khulisa’s internationally acclaimed and locally rewarded best practice programmes deliver positive and measurable impact with the main focus on youth and community development.
For more information, contact
Lesley Ann Van Selm | 082 601 2299 | lesleyann@khulisa.org.za | media@khulisa.org.za
